Eureka
by Increasing Paranoia
Summary: Allison wasn't the person Jack met on his initial visit to Eureka. It was Nathan.
1. Pilot

A/N: I've hit a bit of a snag with some of my other stories, so the obvious thing to do was to completely re-write the Pilot episode of Eureka. I pretty much cut all of the scenes that didn't have Jack and Allison in them and re-wrote them with Jack and Nathan. Again, apologies for all mistakes. My two main beta readers have abandoned me and left me to check my own work.

* * *

Jack Carter was not having the best week. He had managed to track his delinquent daughter down within three days of her running away, gotten lost on a back road, crashed his car and found himself stranded in the _oddest_ town he's ever been in. To top it off, a child was missing and the Sheriff was refusing his help. He was a U.S. Marshal, for goodness' sake! Knowing in his gut that the Sheriff was just wasting time, Carter ducked beneath the blue tarp. He took a moment to stare at the demolished RV before shaking his head. He _really_ didn't want to know and decided instead to focus on the scene in front of him. In fact, he was so focused, he completely missed the arrival of another man.

"Looking for something?" the man asked. Carter turned and stared at the man. He was tall with green eyes and black hair. His beard was neatly trimmed and he looked like he'd just stepped out of a men's catalog in his pressed suit. "You know you're disturbing an active crime scene?"

"Well, actually, I'm investigating an active crime scene." He stated, reaching into his inside pocket. "Jack Carter, U.S. Marshal," he stated, showing his badge. The man grinned, pulling out his own badge.

"Nathan Stark, Department of Defense."

"Huh, and what would the Department of Defense want with a missing person?" Jack asked, not waiting for an answer as he moved further into the crime scene.

"Well, now that we're done with the introductions, Mr. Carter..."

"Well, actually it's Marshal Carter," he stated, immensely enjoying the annoyed look flickering across the other man's face. "But you can call me Jack," he finished, careful to hide his grin as he climbed onto the RV.

"Uh, hey, I don't like to repeat myself," Nathan stated irritably.

"Yet something tells me you're going to." Jack informed him as he knelt down to investigate. "Wow, you know, I've seen some _strange_ stuff..." he trailed off, standing up as realization hit. "This is why the D.O.D. is out here in the middle of nowhere." He stated, turning to face Nathan.

"I'm not at liberty to say," Nathan told him, crossing his arms.

"Oh, come on, Mr. Stark, we're on the same team," Jack cajoled, not really paying much attention to the man as he continued looking around.

"That's Agent Stark, Marshal, and we're not even in the same league." Nathan shot back, grinning. "This is way out of your jurisdiction," he continued, turning serious.

"Actually, I'm a U.S. Marshal, so technically the United States is my jurisdiction," Jack stated with a small grin and he considered it a minor success when the taller man rolled his eyes with a tiny grin. "Careful, though, wouldn't want you disturbing an active crime scene," he stated as he turned away and moved further into the RV.

"Look..." Stark began, but cut off as they caught sight of a hand print on the cabinet. "Brian."

"The missing boy?" Carter asked after a moment's pause.

"Yeah. Hey!" He admonished as Carter stuck his thumb in the middle of the hand print.

"It's okay," Carter assured, sucking the pad of his thumb.

"What are you doing?" Stark demanded.

"Relax, it's not blood," the Marshal assured. Stark let out a deep sigh before turning back to Carter.

"Then what?" he demanded.

"Chocolate. Hershey's Big Block...with almonds." He finished with a pleased grin. His grin didn't falter at the annoyed look Stark was giving him.

"How could you _possibly_ know that?" Carter turned away and picked up the wrapper. Nathan rolled his eyes to hide his grin.

"Believe it or not, I _have_ done this before." He paused before continuing on. "But, there's one small detail I usually like to ascertain before launching a full-scale manhunt for a missing person."

"And that would be?" Nathan asked, moving closer to the Marshal.

"That there is, in fact, a person missing," Carter stated, not even blinking as Nathan pierced him with his gaze. Instead, he leaned forward and flipped open the seat cushion, revealing a cubby-hole with the Perkins' son. "Hi, Brian."

"Brian," Nathan growled.

~Cut Scene~

"Brian, were you hiding in the RV the entire time?" Sheriff Cobb asked.

"Yes!" The boy stated, grinning as his mother wrapped him in a hug and Sheriff Cobb shook his head. It was evident he was disappointed in himself.

"Everybody missed it," Stark stated.

"Not everybody," Cobb stated, watching as Carter continued looking around the RV, inadvertently stepping into a mud puddle.

"Uh, I guess he's smarter than he looks," Stark stated dubiously.

"I'm gonna let Jo handle it," Cobb stated, giving Stark a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"No, no," Stark shot the idea down quickly. "I'll handle it."

"No, Jo, she's perfect," Cobb argued.

"I need you to stay focused on finding what caused this."

"No, Jo! Jo!" Cobb called.

"Sheriff," Stark's tone took on a warning edge and his grin became sharp. "Sheriff, please." Cobb sighed, but turned and walked away. "Looks like you really _stepped_ in it, Marshal."

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"I suppose I should thank you," Stark stated, his tone indicating that he really didn't want to.

"How about you telling me what's going on here instead?" At Stark's infuriating smile Carter sighed. "Yeah, yeah, you're not at liberty to say." When Stark saw Henry let down the Marshal's car he had to hide a grin as the tire deflated. Looked like this interesting new person would be stuck in town for awhile. What a shame.

"Come on, I've got a place you can stay."

"You've really got a hotel around this place? I wouldn't have thought you get all that many people driving through this town." Carter stated as he trailed after the other man.

"Oh, you'd be surprised, Marshal."

Nathan knew that the Marshal was going to be a gigantic pain in the ass. Not only did he invite himself onto a missing person case, he intruded on _another_ crime scene and somehow managed to escape from Taggart's jeep. And now he was demanding to know what was going on.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Stark stated as he entered the Sheriff's Office with Taggart.

"_Really?_" Carter asked, unimpressed. "And just how do you plan on stopping me." The cracking of Jo's neck was the only warning any of them got before Jo had him down on the ground. Stark would have been happy to leave the Marshal in the jail cell but with Sheriff Cobb in the infirmary _missing_ part of his leg, they needed someone to investigate. And Jo was a little too gun happy for Stark's taste.

"He's got experience. So what?" Jo asked, flipping through Carter's files.

"The way I see it, we have two options. We can get rid of him, or use him." And Stark _really_ didn't need to be thinking about the ways he could use Jack Carter. Jo thunked her gun down on the desk.

"I know my preference."

"He wrecked my cage," Taggart whined as he peered out the window.

"He found the kid," Stark argued.

"We would have found him eventually," Jo argued.

"Smashed it to pieces," Taggart continued.

"Without Cobb, we are gonna..." Stark began.

"He'll pull through. He has to." Jo interrupted.

"Built that cage with my own two hands." Taggart stated.

"You'll build a new one." Stark stated, tired of hearing about Taggart's cage.

"Yeah...but not as good." Taggart answered, shaking his head sadly.

"Look, it's my call. He's good at what he does and right now we need every resource possible. Marshal, come on. Let's go for a ride."

"So, back there..." Jack stated as Nathan drove out of town. "When you said, 'get rid of him'...did you mean like, buy him a bus ticket -"

"First things first," Stark stated, pulling out the packet of forms that Carter needed to sign and plopping them into his lap. "Standard non-disclosure agreement. To dumb it down for you, it says that you'll be charged with treason if you ever tell anyone what you see here. A lot of people would like to get there hands on what I'm about to show you. Sign it." Stark ordered, handing over a pen. He slowed the car as Carter took the pen and signed where indicated.

"Where are you taking me, Area 51?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"Please," Nathan smirked. "They _wish_ they had our security." With that, he stomped on the gas, watching in amusement as Carter began panicking.

"Slow down." Carter warned as the car approached the broken bridge. "What are you doing?" he demanded, groping for his seat-belt. As the car passed through the field, Nathan laughed. "You've got a cruel streak, haven't you?" Carter asked, glaring. Nathan let his smirk speak for him as he handed his pass over to the guard, conveniently forgetting to warn the Marshal about the retinal scan. "Oh, I think I'm blind."

"Relax, that almost never happens." Nathan stated as he passed through the gate. He gave a brief description of everything he thought the Marshal might need to know and occasionally elaborated when the man didn't quite understand. He had to admit, he was rather surprised at how much the Marshal seemed to grasp.

"But, where do you fit in with all of this?" Jack asked as they trekked through GD.

"I'm one of GD's scientists as well as a government liaison. I make sure the research being done here is productive. Building a better future doesn't come cheap."

"Well, that explains Fort Knox," Carter stated, nodding to Section 5.

"Section 5 is restricted to military projects only. We don't enjoy it, but the Department of Defense is one of our biggest supplies of income. Life is full of compromises. We work with the military, we get the best of everything – schools, housing, health-care..."

"With an emphases on the latter, I hope, with everything I've seen," Carter quipped.

"Life is full of risks," Nathan quipped back.

"You've had problems before." Carter stated and Nathan was once again surprised by how quick Carter could be.

"Occasionally."

"Like?"

"Global warming." Nathan stated before walking ahead, a small smirk on his lips. It _was_ rather fun throwing the Marshal off his game. However, the meeting with Warren left Nathan questioning his decision to bring the Marshal into the investigation. It seemed like the man was intent on proving himself to be the biggest idiot on the planet. Still, Carter seemed honest when he said that he was still just trying to wrap his brain around everything. Luckily, Nathan was saved from attempting to be reassuring by the Sheriff jumping out of his car and running into Cafe Diem. In all honesty, Nathan wasn't really expecting to see the man again – at least not that night, so he was shocked to find him on his doorstep with a rolled-up map in his hand. "Honey, who is it?" he called.

"Five, Thirteen, Sixty-Nine. Tuesday." Kevin stated.

"Okay sweetie, go back inside." Nathan stated softly. He shut the door as Kevin re-entered the house. "Marshal? What's going on?"

"He's a nice kid," Jack stated as he smiled and nodded towards the door. "We chatted in the park earlier today."

"Are you trying to be funny?" Nathan asked, anger and hurt burning inside of him.

"Uh, no." Jack stated, the smile falling from his face as he realized something was wrong. Nathan took a minute to control his initial anger before explaining.

"My son has autism. He barely speaks to the people that he knows."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize..." Jack began and Nathan knew he was telling the truth.

"I'm sorry," he stated, shaking his head. "It's been a long day."

"Um, I think I have a lead," Jack stated, attempting to dispel the awkwardness. "But, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to have to run it by your professor friend."

Nathan could hardly believe it when Carter suggested using Warren's project to find the origin of the entire disaster. They were _so close_ to discovering what had happened when Briggs decided to invade the town. Stark was certain they could figure out a way to reverse whatever Walter had done if they could just find someone to complete the partially erased formula. And then Carter had asked him to trust him.

"Do I have a choice?" he asked sarcastically before handing over his car keys. When the Marshal had come back with Zoe and Kevin, the scientist really began questioning the man's sanity. He lost track of how long they all stood there waiting for Kevin to finish the formula.

"Yeah. Yeah, this isn't working," Jack ceded, picking up the blackboard and setting it on the ground. "Try that." he stated, moving back. It was as if a switch had been flipped. Kevin moved forward, kneeling down and beginning to fill in the missing parts of the equation. Nathan could have kissed the Marshal in that moment – but that would have been entirely unprofessional.

"Well I'll be damned." Briggs stated as Nathan moved and wrapped his arms around his son. Somehow, Jack had done it. And he'd been right about Warren. Well, that would have to be taken care of just as soon as the town was safe again.

Crisis adverted, one General put in his place and one scientists threatened - all in all a good day for Nathan. Still, and he would never admit it, but he was sad to see the Marshal leave Eureka. The man obviously struggled to grasp with what they had thrown at him but despite lacking the scientific knowledge that Cobb had Carter somehow managed to keep the town from blowing up. It took a special type of person to do that. And if Kevin had voluntarily spoken to him at the park... So he wasn't all that upset to find Sheriff Cobb in his office, handing in his retirement paperwork with a request for one Marshal Jack Carter as his replacement. It seemed like things were going to be getting more interesting around here.

~Review~


	2. Many Happy Returns

A/N: Okay folks, here is the re-write for the episode Many Happy Returns. I apologize if I make anybody angry by making Allison's character a bit more shifty but after all, the entire story is about Nathan and Allison switching roles. So...enjoy.

* * *

Nathan stood in an immaculate black suit with the newly promoted Sheriff Carter standing next to him. In front of him stood Brian Perkins and Nathan held the crying boy's shoulders as he stared into the holographic projection of his parents. Today was the funeral for Walter and Susan Perkins. He listened as Henry talked about Walter and Susan – how their legacy and their son were now in Eureka's hands. It was a short speech, but it made it's point as Brian walked forward and placed a rose on one of the coffins before rushing back to Nathan's side. Yes, Nathan Stark might be a complete and utter bastard at work but not even he could deny a mourning child comfort.

"I still don't get it," Nathan said as he walked beside Carter.

"What's that?" Carter asked, watching as Henry knelt down to talk to Brian.

"Susan committing suicide. I don't care how bad things are. Once you have a kid, you don't get to just check out," he stated hotly.

"Well, my daughter, Zoe, said pretty much the same thing to me when I told her I was being transferred to Eureka," Jack confessed.

"Taking a life and taking a job are hardly the same thing, Carter." Nathan stated.

"In this town? Not so sure," Carter answered before walking away. Nathan could do nothing but watch him leave.

~Sheriff's Office~

"I'm not sure this will all get worked out, Mrs. Perkins," Carter stated, staring at the woman in the chair. Nathan stood beside him and thought he was doing a pretty good job at not gawking. After all, they had just buried this woman earlier that same morning.

"I need to see Walter _now_," she demanded. "Walter was obviously trying to hurt me. And when I..." she broke off as she realized she was being stared at. "What? What are you all staring at?" She looked at the three people. Jo looked away and Carter broke the news.

"Sorry if we seem a little unnerved but...we just buried you this morning."

"_You're_ unnerved? My parents called me in hysterics, because they got an invitation to my funeral, _and_ a message saying that they had a grandson who needs a home. Which was all a big surprise to me seeing as how I'm _not_ dead and I've _never_ had a child." Nathan had to give this woman a hand – whether or not she really was Susan Perkins, she was taking the news of her death pretty well. Carter sent Nathan a look but Nathan remained as he was, arms crossed, staring at the woman sitting in front of them.

"Yeah, you win." Carter told her.

"We're just trying to figure out what's going on." Nathan told her.

"Then get Walter in here and ask him," she ordered. Nathan glanced at the Sheriff.

"You didn't tell her?" he asked. Carter sighed and hung his head.

"I was getting to it."

"Tell her what?" Susan asked.

"Walter's dead," Nathan told her, deciding a straightforward approach was best.

"...Walter's dead?" she repeated.

"Yeah...he sort of...blew himself up." Jack told her. Susan stared at the Sheriff before realizing he was serious.

"Oh my god. What? You're not joking?" Jack shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Susan," Nathan told her, attempting to sound sincere.

"Hold on," Jo interrupted. "If she's Susan Perkins, then who did we..." she trailed off, pointing in the direction of the cemetery. Well, crap. They all stared at the woman.

"You're staring again," she stated irritably.

"Yeah, do you mind if I ask you how you and Walter met?" Jack asked. Susan sighed but started talking.

"I was a grad student at MIT. He was a post-doc." She stood and began pacing with her arms crossed in front of her. "We got married right after graduation, and he wanted to start a family, but I wasn't ready." She stood still as she reached Jo's desk and began wringing her fingers. "One morning this...guy... came to the door and wanted to talk to Walter about some top-secret job. He wanted to go, I wanted to stay. So we separated."

"You do realize that we are gonna have to verify that so we can sort this thing out." Jack stated as Susan crossed back toward the chair she had been sitting in.

"How long is that gonna take?" she demanded, her emotions finally getting the better of her.

"I'm not really sure." Carter told her honestly. "It's not like we have a standard form to undead you," he told her. Nathan bit back a grin as Jo cleared her throat. "_Tell_ me you're kidding!"

"924/B. In triplicate." She told him.

"We'll still need to confirm your identity," Nathan told Susan, cutting off a heated discussion between the Sheriff and Deputy.

"How are you going to do that?" she asked.

"We're gonna do a DNA test," Carter told her. Oh, Nathan loved his job.

"Oh, we can do better than that," he said with a grin. "But we're still going to need to do some digging." He waited for it.

"Oh, you mean I'm going to have to go back to the – "

"Ye-es," Nathan told him, smirk in place.

"Well, someone's gotta get me a coroner." Jack argued.

"That's right." Nathan agreed, pointedly refusing to offer.

"Just do what you have to do." Susan stated, interrupting the pseudo-argument. "I just want to get back to my normal life."

"Yeah, I can relate," Jack stated, keeping his eyes on Nathan as he said it. He turned around and left before Nathan could reply and the scientist was beginning to think that he might just be a little in love with Jack Carter.

~Global Dynamics~

"So you met the new director yet?" Jack asked as he followed Nathan through the hallways.

"Not yet. They just arrived. Global Dynamics is under DARPA jurisdiction and they get a little crazy about sharing information," Nathan stated, clearly miffed that he hadn't been told who the new director was. "Hence our visit."

"What's DARPA?" Jack asked.

"The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency. It's the central research arm of the D.O.D. That stands for – "

"Yeah, I know what it stands for," Jack snapped and Nathan smirked. Sometimes the Sheriff made it too easy. "Okay, so why am I here?"

"Well, you want to use the new molecular bio-scanner on Susan Perkins' body and this new woman, right?"

"May...be..."

"Yeah. Well, all requests to use laboratory resources for police applications must be submitted to the Director of Research."

"Who we haven't met yet," Jack stated, catching up.

"Exactly," he stated as they entered the room. "Allison?" he asked. A petite brunette in a pant-suit with a blue top turned around.

"Nathan," she stated, smiling. "I swear I was just about to call you."

"What are you doing here?" Nathan asked as he crossed his arms. "You're not...?"

"No. You are. I'm the new liaison." She told him.

"You're moving back to Eureka?"

"Moved actually," she corrected, walking forwards. "Yesterday. Surprise!" She smiled. Nathan looked away, clearly unhappy. Awkward silence ensued and Jack looked at Nathan, waiting to follow his lead. "I probably should have called sooner," Allison stated.

"Probably," Nathan agreed.

"You must be the new sheriff I've heard so much about. Allison Blake," she greeted.

"Jack Carter," he replied, shaking her hand. "So, you two used to work together?" Jack asked, trying to regain his footing. Nathan clearly wasn't going to be much help seeing as how he was doing his best to avoid even _looking_ at the woman in front of them.

"I mainly worked with his son, Kevin, but Nate and I had our moments." Allison said. Jack tried not to grin at the nickname. Nathan didn't look like a 'Nate' kind of guy.

"Anyway," Jack stated, turning to the man standing next to him. "Since _you're_ the director, can I use your bio scanner-molecule-thingy?" he asked.

"Do you even think before you open your mouth?" Nathan asked. "It's called a – "

"Molecular bio-scanner. Can I use it?" Jack asked, grinning impishly.

"...did you mangle it just to annoy me?" Nathan asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Did it work?" Jack shot back.

"Nathan, with you taking over over as the Director, you've got a lot of work to catch up on," Allison interrupted. Nathan shot her an irritated look before Fargo cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, Ms. Blake, but Maggie's taking care of your parking space and the new furniture should be delivered tomorrow."

"Seems like you've got a lot to catch up on yourself, Allison," he told her.

"Sheriff, it was a pleasure to meet you," she told him succinctly. "Nathan..." she gave him a long once over. "It's good to see you." She smiled before turning around and following the other man. After an awkward silence Jack stated,

"Well you two have a history."

"You could say that," Nathan agreed. "She's my _wife_." He spit the word out like it was poison before turning and walking down the hallway.

~The Next Morning~

"Okay Ms. Perkins, we're ready for your bio scan. Now just hold still, this won't take long." Fargo told her.

"I'm over here, jackass," she stated and Fargo whirled away from the dead body to address the live one. Jack bit back a laugh.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Here we go." He began punching buttons on his hand-held device and both tables slid into the scanner.

"So this'll tell us if the new Susan is identical to the one that we buried?" Jack asked Henry.

"Even more accurate than a DNA test," Henry told him. Silence fell as the specs began scrolling along the screen and Henry turned away, going to talk to Fargo. "Nathan," he greeted as the scientist entered the room.

"Hi," he said tiredly, sighing as he stood next to Jack.

"You okay?" the Sheriff asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Allison and I just got into it last night, and Kevin had a nightmare, he did all these terrifying ghost drawings and... You know, forget it, it's nothing." Nathan told him, realizing that he was pouring everything out to Jack. He'd never done that before in his life.

"Okay," Jack said easily, watching the figures roll on the screen. "So...Kevin isn't Allison's son?"

"No." Nathan told him.

"But you are still married," he stated, nodding his head. Nathan chuckled.

"You're awfully curious," he teased.

"I'm a cop; it's my nature." Jack told him.

"Allison and I separated last year. We just haven't gotten down to the final paperwork." Jack nodded. "What's with the look?" The scientist demanded.

"There was no look!" Jack denied.

"There was a look."

"None of my business!"

"...that's right." They both looked at each other from the corner of their eyes and grinned.

"You're not going to believe this!" Henry called.

"Oh, they're both Susan Perkins," Jack replied.

"Down to the last protein chain," Henry confirmed. "Chromosomes, cell differentiation – I mean all the markers are identical." He paused. "How did you know?" he asked Jack.

"I was reading Walter's personnel file last night. Guess what the subject of his first dissertation was? Stem cell replication." Sometimes, Nathan really just wanted to kiss the Sheriff. The man was utterly brilliant in his own right.

"Are you saying Walter cloned his own wife?" Nathan asked.

"Not exactly. Walter went way beyond cloning," Henry told her. "He recreated Susan cell by cell as a full-grown adult. I mean, she may look thirty, but chronologically those tissues can't be more than seven years old. Tops." Henry told them.

"A year older than her son, that's creepy." Nathan stated.

"Susan was right," Jack muttered. "Walter wanted a family, with her...or with her," he finished, pointing to the dead body still laying in the scanner.

~The Next Morning~

"That's why you collapsed? An electrolyte imbalance?" Jack asked incredulously, trying to ignore the fact that Nathan's shirt was still open.

"I'm just telling you what the doctors told me," Nathan told him.

"And they have no idea what caused it," Jack stated flatly.

"Ye-es. My electrolytes are out of balance." Nathan replied, grinning. Sometimes the Sheriff just made it too easy.

"Oh, Nathan," Jack sighed, grinning and shaking his head.

"Don't worry," Nathan assured, "I'm fine."

"Who said I was worried?" Jack teased.

"Wishful thinking," Nathan said, staring straight at the other man. A throat being cleared called their attention to Allison as she walked into the room.

"Oh, Susan Perkins is asking for you," Jack told her. "Henry told her about the whole... uber-clone thing." She sighed, glaring at the Sheriff before turning to Nathan.

"I have to go deal with this," she told him. Nathan paused before shaking his head.

"I don't think I'm going anywhere." She sighed in irritation before turning to Jack.

"Come on." She ordered.

"Sheriff," Nathan called "Talk to you for a sec?" Jack was beginning to think he was in the middle of some sort of weird power struggle between the married couple. If that was the case, he knew which side he was staying on.

"Sure," he agreed, ignoring the dark look Allison aimed in his direction. "I'll catch up." he told her. Nathan sighed as he forced his body out of bed as soon as Allison left. "Shouldn't you be staying in bed?"

"No, I should be getting back to work. I didn't want to say anything with Allison in the room but I saw something. Something I'd like to keep between us?" he asked.

"Okay, shoot."

"There was an electrical problem with the computers," Nathan informed him as he tugged down his shirt sleeves and buttoned the cuffs. "And then I saw...something. A figure."

"Are you saying someone was in your office?"

"Not someone, something," Nathan clarified. "It wasn't entirely corporeal." he told Jack as he finished buttoning his shirt.

"Corporeal?" he asked.

"Physical," Nathan sighed. "There and not there at the same time?" he asked as he began tucking in his shirt.

"Are you saying you saw a ghost?" Jack asked, trying not to grin.

"Sheriff, Director of Research at the most advanced scientific facility in the world doesn't see ghosts." Jack said nothing for a moment, merely grinned widely at the other man.

"I'll check it out," he finally stated.

"Thanks. She'll try to get you to sleep with her," Nathan informed the Sheriff as he turned to walk out of the room.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, turning around.

"Allison. She'll try to get you to sleep with her to make me mad."

"Mm, good thing she reminds me of my ex-wife then. I'll let you know where I get with the ghost," Carter shouted as he turned down the hallway. It took a good five minutes before Nathan was able to wipe the grin off his face.

~Later That Day~

"He doesn't seem to remember much from before the accident. We may never know exactly what happened," Beverly told Stark.

"How convenient for him," Stark responded, his tone clearly indicating that he didn't believe a single thing Beverly told him. She made no reply before leaving.

"You idiot," Jack told him as he stood next to him, a note of fondness in his voice. "You're supposed to be walking off that electrical surge," he told him. "I heard what the doctor said," Jack told him when Nathan tried to argue. Nathan sighed but began walking around. "So what happens now?"

"Temporal rehabilitation," Nathan told him.

"Quit using big words on purpose," Jack groused.

"Think physical therapy but a whole lot more expensive." Nathan told him, chuckling.

"I was talking about Susan," Jack told him, fighting back a grin. "You think she's going to stay?"

"For Brian's sake, I hope so."

"Aw, there is a human side to you," Jack teased. "But wow, I thought my family was dysfunctional."

"Nathan, can I have a word with you," Allison called. The two men quit walking and Jack dropped his arm from where he'd been supporting Nathan.

"I guess I better go," Nathan told him, not moving.

"Yeah, I got to fill out a report on this anyway and I still don't know how to spell corporeal, so..." Carter joked and Nathan's grin turned into a laugh as Henry walked by and spelled it out loud for him. "Get some rest," Jack told Nathan. "And tell your wife I'm glad she's feeling better."

"Yeah..." Nathan trailed off before moving to talk to Allison. He decided then and there that it was time to finally finish the paperwork for the divorce. It'd be one less obstacle between himself and Sheriff Carter.

~Review~


	3. Alienated

A/N: Yes, I know I skipped an episode. I might go back and try and write it out, but then again I might not. We'll all just have to wait and see.

* * *

"Nathan?" Allison called as she walked off the elevator.

"Allison? It's late," the scientist told her as he turned back to his work.

"It's seven o'clock," she told him. "In the morning."

"Oh," Nathan stated as he looked at his watch, brow furrowed.

"Have you been here all night?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess I got a little caught up," he told her. "How's the budget going?" he asked her.

"It's not," Allison answered as Nathan poured himself a cup of coffee. "I have to justify a number that will keep Global cutting-edge and still give Congress something to slash. You saw what they did to NASA."

"So when does Congressman Faraday get in?" Nathan asked.

"He's in. Flew in from McChord Air Force Base last night. And he expects hard numbers and a field test of the PX-319 project at 9:00 a.m. Hopefully he'll be impressed," Allison told him with a pointed look. Nathan gave a short laugh.

"No, hopefully he's forgotten that you called him a shameless grandstander in front of the defense appropriations committee.

"He brought that upon himself. The man's smart, but he likes the sound of his own voice too much," she argued.

"Hmm. Now who does that remind me of?" Nathan asked sarcastically. Allison heaved a sigh.

"Oh, maybe a little groveling will help. Whatever it takes," she sighed. "Global's future is all I care about."

"That sounds familiar, too," Nathan told her.

"This has to go smoothly, Nathan. And not just for Global. Maybe you can talk to the Sheriff Carter," she stated as she headed for the door. "See if he can keep things quiet around here, for a change."

"I'll see what I can do, Allison." He told her as he sat down at his desk and took a sip of his coffee.

~Scene Change~

"Nothing like a little Vinspresso to start the day off, huh?" Nathan asked.

"I'm waiting," Jack told him as he and Jo kept pace with the scientist.

"For what?" Nathan snapped.

"Oh, come on," Jack laughed. "You're making small talk, you're buying me coffee, which means either, A: you're into me or B: you want something."

"Could you be more of an idiot?" Nathan snarked.

"Come clean or I'll make my own assumptions," Jack warned him. Nathan sighed heavily. "Okay," Carter sighed. "Nathan Stark, really into me! Spread it around!"

"ALL RIGHT!" Nathan cut him off. "We have a visitor in town."

"See, was that so hard?" Jack asked him as they crossed the street.

"We do?" Jo asked.

"Congressman Faraday got in last night," Nathan continued.

"Huh. And you're telling me this why?" Jack asked.

"We're under budget review," Nathan told him, pulling the other man to a stop outside of the sheriff's office. "Faraday's tour has to go smoothly. Could you please just keep a lid on things? I have great faith in your abilities," he stated – sarcasm barely present. Jack grinned at the scientist.

"No, you don't."

"No, I don't," Nathan quickly agreed, "but I still need a day or two of quiet."

"In this town? That's easier said than done." Almost as if on cue, Henry rushed out of the police station.

"Sheriff, something's happened to Spencer."

"I didn't hear that!" Nathan shouted as he walked away, leaving Jack to deal with the mechanic.

~Scene Change~

"Allison, could you -" Nathan trailed off and Allison led the Congressman away. "So how's Spencer?" he asked softly.

"Uh, he's been better," Jack stated, shoving his hands into his pockets. "How's Fargo?"

"Last person to see Fargo was Dr. Sharat _and_ he missed a critical meeting with me. It's not like him."

"Spencer was acting odd, too. I need to talk to Dr. Sharat," he stated, moving to head towards the doctor.

"Uh, that's going to have to wait," Stark told him, blocking the sheriff's path. "She's kind of in the middle of something important."

"Well, so am I and you called me, so..." He ducked around the scientist and headed toward the lab. Nathan let out a small huff of amusement that he would never admit to. By the time he caught up with the other man, Allison was already telling the Congressman about the latest project and how it would revolutionize warfare. Dr. Sharat began the demonstration though the monkeys showed no signs of aggression. Dr. Stark spoke softly with Dr. Sharat before Congressman Faraday pulled him out of the room. Jack gave him an encouraging smile before beginning his interview with the other scientist.

"So I understand you spoke to Douglas Fargo this morning?" he asked.

"The man's lost him mind. If you find him, shoot him," she told the sheriff as she continued her calculations. Jack's cell phone rang, interrupting his gob-smacked expression.

"I'll take that as a yes," he stated as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Thank you for your time. Nice monkeys!" he called as he exited the lab. "Carter. Whoa, whoa, whoa, Vincent did what? Perfect," Jack sighed as he snapped his cell phone shut. "Vincent just -" he began as Stark caught up with him.

"No, I don't want to hear it." Nathan growled.

"Jo, I need you to get down to Cafe Diem. Vincent disappeared during the lunch rush," Jack ordered over his walkie-talkie. "Jo, come in. Over. Jo." When he got nothing in reply he shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned to the scientist. "Okay, today's officially missing persons' day. But you don't want to hear it," he stated as he turned and headed out of Global Dynamics.

"A day or two of quiet wasn't an unreasonable request!" Stark shouted after him.

~Scene Change~

"So what makes you think Jo and the others are coming for Spencer?" Allison asked as she quickly exited the vehicle and popped open the trunk.

"Occam's Razor." Jack responded shortly.

"Okay, you're spending _way_ too much time with Henry," Allison told the sheriff as she opened the case in her trunk. "Borrowed this from Section Four," she told the him.

"I want to stop them, not vaporize them," Jack argued as he shut the trunk.

"It's a 'pep'. Pulse Energy Projectile Rifle. It's for crowd control, completely non-lethal," she continued as she turned and headed towards Beverly's house.

"Hey, did you pass that weapons test?" Jack asked.

"It's not that difficult, Carter," she told him.

"Allison, Carter, what is going on?" Beverly demanded as she met the two people outside.

"Where's Spencer?" Jack asked, pushing past the red-head.

"Inside and he's getting worse." Beverly told them as she followed after. "What happened to your head?" she asked Carter.

"Had a trust issue," Jack told her.

"Their leader is here. He looks human, but it's just a guise. You can see it. Hideous, under the skin," Spencer stated, his eyes staring vacantly.

"We will not let anything happen to you, Spencer." Beverly assured the young scientist. "Will we, Sheriff?" she asked loudly.

"No," Jack told her, pulling his eyes away from the window. "I'm going to stay in position here in the foyer. Allison, why don't you take the back and pep the hell out of anything that comes from behind."

"Okay." As she moved to take her position, Spencer's hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

"He picked Eureka for a reason." Spencer said slowly.

"He?" Allison asked, sharing a significant look with Carter.

"He can't be trusted. I-I need to-" Spencer stated as he stood up and let the blanket fall from his shoulders. "I need to go. We have to capture him and interrogate him. He must be stopped."

"Who?" Jack asked.

"Their leader. He's infiltrated our government and now he's here hiding in plain sight." Spencer told him. Realization dawned on Carter's face.

"Oh, geez."

"What?" Allison demanded.

"He's talking about the Congressman." Jack told her.

"He is?" Beverly asked.

"Spencer's not their target. Faraday is."

~Scene Change~

"Henry, give us some good news." Jack told him as he drove down the road.

"They were watching a movie called 'They Came to Conquer'." Henry told him.

"Don't tell me," Jack stated dryly. "Alien invasion."

"Invasion, abduction, dissection – this movie's got it all," Henry stated.

"Okay, still, it's a big leap from watching a movie to thinking it's the real thing."

"Yeah, but we're talking about Spencer here," Allison cut in. "I'm assuming he didn't just get this at Blockbuster."

"Not even close," Henry told them as he continued to fiddle with the scientist's computer. "Looks like he hijacked a satellite signal to intercept a digital broadcast. Then he bounced the signal off a Global Dynamics satellite to cover his tracks," Henry finished slowly.

"Oh," Allison stated, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Oh? Is this a good 'oh' or a bad 'oh'?" Jack asked.

"The number of the satellite is GD-85," Henry told him.

"Oh, no." Allison stated.

"Don't tell me, that's the one that screwed up your monkey test," Jack reasoned.

"They lost the satellite signal for a few hours Friday night. I'm assuming..."

"Spencer got it." Jack finished for her.

"Yeah... There's Nathan's car!"

"Henry, we got to go!" Jack stated and flipped his phone shut before easing his police jeep to the side of the road.

"Nathan!" Allison called as she ran to the prone body. "Are you alright?" she asked as she plucked the tranquilizer dart out of his body. "What happened?"

"Taggart, his deputy and my assistant -oh-took Faraday," he told her as he leaned against his car.

"Yeah, they're infected with your paranoia-inducing monkey beam," Jack told him as he tried to ruthlessly squash down the jealousy he felt while Allison stroked Nathan's hair.

"Oh, impossible, it was sent from a secure Global Dynamics satellite," Nathan shot back as he fought the after-effects of the tranquilizer.

"No, possible, Spencer hacked into it," Allison told him. Nathan stared at her.

"If anything happens to Faraday -"

"Well it _won't_ now that we know where they took him," Jack interrupted.

"Where did they take him?" Allison demanded.

"Well, where would you go if you were about to do an autopsy on an alien?" He asked with a small grin.

"Taggart's lab," Allison stated and Jack turned away to get into his jeep.

"I'm calling Global Security Detail," Nathan told him.

"No, you're not," Jack shouted, turning back.

"A crazy cabal is about to dissect a U.S. Congressman. I am," Nathan told him as he reached into his suit jacket for his phone.

"They're not crazy. They're paranoid. And if they see a bunch of people with weapons, this is going to get waco really fast." Jack told him.

"My point exactly." Nathan told him evenly. "They're armed and dangerous. I don't see any other choice," he told the sheriff.

"Can't you just reverse the paranoid thing?" Jack demanded. Nathan held his gaze for a beat longer before looking down at his phone. "You don't know how." Nathan sighed.

"I know how to save a U.S. Congressman," Nathan stated, turning away as the phone dialed. Jack turned around and rushed to his jeep.

"Carter!" Allison shouted.

"This is Stark," Nathan stated as the car door slammed shut behind him. "Tell task command I need a detail sent to Taggart's compound. Code Black," he finished as Carter's jeep raced past him.

~Scene Change~

"Sheriff Carter, please stay back!" The officer shouted as the task command raced through the woods around him.

"I need to get in there," the sheriff stated.

"No, he does not." Nathan interrupted.

"Let me negotiate this. I know these guys!" Jack argued.

"So do I," Stark cut in. "Look, sheriff, I don't like this any better than you do but if something happens to that Congressman, what do you think's going to happen to Eureka?"

"We just need more time," Jack pleaded.

"Give us a chance to talk to them," Allison told Nathan.

"Sorry Allison," Nathan stated, shaking his head. "I can't risk it," he told her, eyes on Jack.

"Okay. Okay." Jack agreed, turning away from the scientist. "If that's the way this has to be," he stated, walking away.

"Thank you for your cooperation, sheriff." Stark said, eyes on the forest floor.

"Carter!" Allison shouted as Jack took off at a run for the house.

"Sheriff Carter, stop now! Hold your fire! Repeat, hold fire!" The task commander informed his team.

"Damn it," Nathan muttered under his breath. He didn't really start breathing again until Carter came out of Taggart's compound with his hands in the air holding his gun belt. But he refrained himself as Allison ran to greet him.

"So everyone's okay?" She asked.

"Oh, no, they're freaking bug nuts. Restraints. Now." he told one of the men.

~Scene Change~

"We reprogrammed the signal to stimulate the brain's pleasure center," Henry explained as he, Faraday and Jack watched the paranoid people undergo treatment. "I chose delivery footage each should find benign and peaceful." Henry chuckled.

"Well, you sure know, Jo," Jack told him as he watched the soldiers drag their boat up the beach. Henry patted the Sheriff on the arm and left the room as Nathan entered.

"Congressman. I trust this unfortunate incident in no way will affect our budget considerations." Nathan told him.

"I was abducted, threatened and humiliated by your people in your town on your watch." Faraday told him. "But in spite of this incident what I saw in there yesterday takes precedence." Jack turned his head but Faraday was already offering his hand to the scientist. "Dr. Stark. We'll be talking."

"I'm sure we will." Nathan stated evenly.

"Ms. Blake," Faraday greeted as he exited. The woman stepped up next to her ex, smiling.

"So are we funded?" she asked.

"For now," Nathan stated, not looking at her.

"Guess I owe you one, sheriff," Allison told the other man. "Getting the Congressman out relatively unscathed."

"A big one," Nathan agreed. "Thank you, Carter," he told the sheriff seriously. Jack gave him a small nod and Nathan took it as his cue to leave.

"By the way," Jack told Allison after a moment's silence. "I didn't do it for you." He turned on his heel and exited the room only to run into Nathan lurking outside the doorway.

"You don't say," Nathan told him, his mouth quirking in a small grin. "Who did you do it for, Sheriff?" Jack rolled his eyes.

"Out of my way, scientist, I've got to train for a weapons test."

"You still haven't passed that?" Nathan asked incredulously. "Seriously, Carter, it's not that difficult."

"No one asked you!" Jack snapped as he headed toward GD's door.

"See you around, Sheriff."

~Review~


End file.
